Device and method for packaging products or ice cream

ABSTRACT

A packaging apparatus ( 10 ) of ice cream or other products in cones, cups or other containers comprises at least one transfer line of the ice cream along which the preparation steps are carried out beginning with the feeding of the container up to the closing of the container with the product, along the transfer line at least one trolley ( 21 ) is foreseen with movement in step with the transfer of the containers for the time necessary for the completion of the operation.

The present invention concerns a device and a method for packaging ice cream or other products.

In particular, the invention concerns a packaging device of ice cream or other products in containers such as cones, cups and the like.

At present, the industrial packaging of ice cream is carried out on lines consisting of conveyors with many positions (5, 10 or more parallel rows of cones and/or cups) which are subjected to the sequential packaging operations which with reference to FIG. 1, for the packaged ice cream cones, can be the following:

A) feeding wrappers and cones;

B) metering ice cream;

C) upper filling;

D) decorating;

E) upper cover positioning;

F) closure by means of crimping;

G) product ejection.

Naturally, the packaging steps can differ or not all be present, and the choice of the listed steps is purely descriptive and identifying of packaged commercial cones.

The present sequence encounters an obstacle in the optimisation of the execution times of the indispensable closure step (cover positioning and crimping) which is the slowest step, the least able to be speeded up of the entire procedure.

A further problem which tends to make the packaging more difficult is related to the cleanliness of the packaged product, ensuring which the current laws of many countries foresee the sealing of the wrapper both to favour the conservation of the product and to make tampering attempts visible—with the product closed by means of crimping these attempts may instead occur without leaving evidence.

With respect to the classical closure by means of crimping, the sealing of the wrapper can lead to even longer execution times, thus worsening the problem.

It is therefore necessary for the optimisation of the packaging operations to speed up the various steps and in particular the closure step of the package.

At the current state of the art there is therefore the need to increase the execution of all steps and in particular the closing step, in any manner it is carried out.

General object of the present invention is therefore that of supplying a device adapted to permit an increase of execution speed of each of the packaging steps and in particular of the closure step, which is applicable both on new devices and on existing ones.

The Applicant has found that it is possible to realise the packaging of ice cream in cones or other containers by means of a device and comprising a transfer line of the ice cream along which the preparation steps are carried out beginning with the feeding of the container up to the closure of the container with ice cream, and along the transfer line at least one device is foreseen adapted to carry out one of said operations, being mounted on a trolley moving synchronously with the ice cream transfer for the time required for the completion of the operative step.

One aspect of the present invention regards a packaging device of ice cream, according to that set forth in claim 1.

Another aspect of the invention concerns a method of packaging products or ice cream according to that set forth in claim 10.

Further characteristics of the invention are object of the dependent claims.

The characteristics and advantages of a device and a method of packaging product or ice cream according to the present invention shall be more evident from the following exemplifying and not limiting description, referred to the attached schematic drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic, side elevation view of a packaging device of ice cream according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a schematic, side elevation view of a packaging device of ice cream according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the device according to the invention;

FIGS. 4-13 schematically illustrate a side elevation view according to the invention applied to the package closure.

With reference to FIG. 2-13, a packaging device 10 is illustrated of ice cream or other products inserted in containers 15 according to the present invention.

The device comprises a plurality of parallel lines 11 (in the illustrated example there are ten parallel lines but naturally this number is subject to the production needs) on which trays 13 slide, moved by suitable conveyors 12; the trays 13 are equipped with seats 14 adapted to receive the wrappers and/or containers 15 for ice cream or different products such as cones, cups, small cups or other equally adapted types of containers.

Along the path of the packaging device in the chosen example, the following operative steps are executed:

a) feeding cone/cup wrappers and/or containers;

b) metering ice cream/product;

c) upper filling and/or decorating;

d) decorating;

e) upper cover positioning;

f) wrapper closure;

g) product ejection.

Naturally, this is not the only possible sequence of steps, but it was chosen since it is exemplifying and representative of the packaging, and it should also be said that even if ice cream packaging was chosen as an example, with the same device according to the invention it is possible to carry out the packaging of different products.

It is therefore intended that further non-mentioned steps may be present in the packaging, as there may be some steps among those mentioned which are not executed, without moreover altering or modifying the applicability of the present invention.

One further necessary specification concerns the applicability of the present invention: even if the invention is described and illustrated with reference to the closure step of the wrapper, it is also applicable without modifications of particular importance to other steps, and can moreover be applied even to several steps of the packaging.

With reference to the exemplified embodiment, the lines 11 convey the ice cream to the closure station 20 where the abovementioned wrapper closure step (f) is carried out.

The closure can occur in the classical manner by means of crimping the edge of the conical wrapper around the cover positioned in the preceding step (e) or by means of sealing with edge welding or other techniques intended to better preserve the contents.

In the closure station 20 there is a “follower” trolley 21 whose function is that of being in step with the movement of the ice cream conveyor lines in order to realise the operation, in this case the closure, without related movements with the advancing ice cream.

As already mentioned this system can be applied without considerable variations also to other operation steps, always based on the principle of synchronous or follower movement.

The production lines are foreseen to transfer the products both at continuous speed and by means of “step-by-step” movement which permits an improved synchronisation of the times and movements.

In the descriptions, cones are referred to, but the meaning is of more general type and is valid for any container also comprising the related wrapper.

The follower trolley 21 comprises a lower portion 21′ and an upper portion 21″ adapted to perform different operations in the closure case.

For each conveyor line 11 of the ice cream, the lower portion 21′ in turn comprises an arm 27 bearing three lifters 28 positioned so to correspond with three alternate seats 14 present in the trays 13, thus extending for a total of five adjacent seats.

The arms 27 are moved by first lever devices 29 which can be in the ratio of one per each arm up to a single lever device 29 for all arms 27 present.

Means for the synchronous advancement and for the recall of the trolley are foreseen even if not illustrated since they are of known type.

The upper portion 21″ of the trolley 21 has for each line a support arm 22 bearing three closure heads 23 which is moved by means of a second lever device 24.

Also this second lever device 24 can be realised in a number starting from one for all the lines to one for each production line 11.

The upper portion 21″ moreover bears a mechanism equipped with three pairs of jaws 25 opened and closed by levers 26.

The position of the lifters 28, of the pairs of jaws 25 and closure heads 23 is predefined on the same axis, so to correspond with alternate cones or containers.

With reference to the FIGS. 4-13, the functioning of the synchronous trolley 21 is described with regard to the crimp closure of the wrapper edge of cones containing ice cream and previously stoppered.

From a first position wherein the central lifter is arranged between two cones/containers inserted in the related wrappers, (FIG. 4) the trolley is moved in traverse, bringing itself with the three lifters under corresponding alternate, non-adjacent cones (FIG. 5), subsequently the lifter enters into action by simultaneously lifting (for each of the lines 11) the three cones and making them pass between the three pairs of open jaws 25 (FIG. 6).

Always following in step (or in a follower manner) the movement of the production lines, the trolley 21 advances in the direction of the arrow F of FIG. 3 and by means of the levers 26 the closure is actuated of the jaw pairs 25 on the wrappers containing the ice cream cones 25 (FIG. 7).

At this point the lifters 28 are lowered and the cones with the related wrappers remain housed between the jaw pairs 25 (FIG. 8).

The intervention of the three heads 23 lowered on the cones actuates the closure by crimping (FIG. 9) of the wrapper edges or the sealing closure by means of welding or pasting the wrapper borders.

The lifters 28 are once again raised and lift the three cones from the jaw pairs 25 (FIG. 10).

The three pairs of jaws with the cones or containers in the closed wrappers are opened, still supported by the three lifters 28 (FIG. 11).

The cones are released within their seats 14 into the trays 13, by means of lowering the lifters 28 (FIG. 12).

The trolley 21 is brought into position one step behind, so to bring it behind the three subsequent cones on which new cycle is carried out (FIG. 13).

The packages thus closed pass to the ejection step g) indicated with the arrow E in FIG. 4.

It is therefore noted that by means of the operation carried out simultaneously on three cones in step with the advancement of the production line, the execution is made possible of a closure by means of crimping or by means of sealing or in other modes without production slowdowns. It may equally be observed that the device thus described permits operating on a number of products which is greater than the number of positions, or rather the number of simultaneously processed products is increased without varying the size of the plant, which would necessarily lead to the variation of all other stations present on the other stations present on the line.

With the same mechanism, it is possible to carry out other operations in the packaging steps in order to further increase the production speed.

It is moreover possible, depending on the operations to be carried out, to simultaneously operate on a number of cones greater than three for each line 11, as it is possible to carry out in-step operations on cones arranged in adjacent seats. 

1. Device for packaging (10) ice cream or other products in cones, cups or other containers (15), characterised in that it comprises at least one line (11) for the transfer within shaped seats (14) of the containers (15) containing the products, along said line the packaging operations (a-g) are carried out starting from the feeding of the empty container (15) up to the closure of the container with the product, along the transfer line (11) at least one trolley (21) is foreseen moving synchronously with the transfer of the containers for a time necessary for the completion of the operation (a-g).
 2. Packaging device (10) according to claim 1, wherein said trolley comprises a lower portion (21′) in turn comprising an arm (27) bearing lifters (28), driven by a first lever device (29), positioned so to correspond to an equal number of alternate seats (14) bearing the same number of non-adjacent containers and an upper portion (21″) bearing corresponding operative means for the execution of the step.
 3. Packaging device (10) according to claim 1, wherein said trolley (21) is prearranged to operate a closure step (f) of the container.
 4. Packaging device (10) according to claim 3, wherein said trolley (21) is prearranged for carrying out the closure step (f) of the container by means of crimping the edge of the container.
 5. Packaging device (10) according to claim 3, wherein said trolley (21) is prearranged for carrying out the sealed closure step (f) of the container by means of welding or pasting of the container borders.
 6. Packaging device (10) according to claim 3, wherein said trolley has an upper portion (21″) equipped, for each line (11), with a support arm (22) bearing a plurality of closure heads (23) movable by means of a second lever device (24).
 7. Packaging device (10) according to claim 6, wherein said upper portion (21″) of the trolley (21) moreover comprises a mechanism equipped with a plurality of jaw pairs (25) which are opened and closed by levers (26).
 8. Packaging device (10) according to claim 7, wherein said lifters (28), said jaw pairs (25) and said closure heads (23) are positioned on the same axis so to correspond with alternate cones or containers.
 9. Packaging device (10) according to claim 8, wherein said lifters (28), said jaw pairs (25) and said closure heads (23) are three in number for each line (11).
 10. Method for packaging products in containers by operating by means of a device (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that it comprises the following steps in the closure operation: moving the trolley (21) up to bringing it with the three lifters under corresponding non-adjacent, alternate containers; simultaneously lifting (for each of the lines 11) the three cones or containers, making them pass between the three open jaw pairs (25); continuing to advance the trolley (21) in step with the advancement of the lines (11); closing the jaw pairs (25) by means of the levers (26) so to hold the cones; lowering the lifters (28); driving the closure heads (23) of the wrappers of the containers (15), or cones or cups; raising the lifters (28) to free the closed wrappers from the jaws; opening the jaws; lowering the lifters until the closed containers are reinserted in their respective seats (14); bringing the trolley back in position to carry out a new cycle. 